ABOVE AVERAGE
In Yiddish folklore, a schlemiel is a person who never wins, ending up in unfortunate situations where his behavior causes distress. The difference between a schlemiel and a schmuck is that the latter can change; he’s redeemable. Not so in the case of a schlemiel, who’s incorrigible. What might be good about such a person though is his ability to challenge conventions in society. Larry David has been compared with a schlemiel and his long-running TV series Curb Your Enthusiasm is a perfect illustration, updated for a modern, affluent lifestyle in the world’s entertainment capital.
Turning a one-time thing into a series
It all started with a mockumentary in 1999, where a TV crew followed David around; the special was meant as a one-time thing, but David decided to turn it into a series. The set-up was simple. After having co-created Seinfeld, Larry David is rich and famous, but his social ineptitude hasn’t changed. He now lives with his wife Cheryl (Cheryl Hines) in Beverly Hills, playing golf, contemplating new projects and constantly getting mixed up in awkward situations. Most of the time he’s hanging with his manager and friend, Jeff Greene (Jeff Garlin), whose wife Susie (Susie Essman) finds Larry intolerable.
The real George Costanza
The title had more than one meaning. It was a message to Seinfeld fans not to expect the second coming, but it also reflected David’s view of life: never project false enthusiasm. It sounds reasonable, but what made David clash with others was his regrettable ability to get enthusiastic about minor grievances, slights and trends. A normal person would just shrug their shoulders and move on, but not Larry David. He’d catch on to something that irritated him and turn it into a thing, which often led to conflicts with new people he’d just met. Some of these annoyances were planted in an episode only to come back in full force in the season finale; it was easy to see how David had inspired the character of George Costanza on Seinfeld, and the man himself was very amusing as this fictionalized Larry David.
Much of the series was improvised, with David, Garlin and Essman key components among a huge cast of Hollywood guest stars
Few things changed over the years, even if Larry and Cheryl divorced (and the latter started dating Ted Danson who frequently played himself over the years) and there was also a six-year hiatus in the 2010s until David found a reason to gather the gang again. Much of the series was improvised, with David, Garlin and Essman key components among a huge cast of Hollywood guest stars. David’s buddy Richard Lewis was there for the entire run, passing away a few weeks before the series finale, and J.B. Smoove was a hilarious addition as a Hurricane Katrina survivor (not really) who moved in temporarily with David… and then just stayed, year after year.
Seinfeld also remained a part of it, a reference that kept resurfacing, in a season devoted to a reboot of it (complete with a reunion of the cast), and in Curb’s wonderful series finale that poked fun at the much criticized ending of Seinfeld.
Curb Your Enthusiasm may have repeated itself too much over the years, but it had a way of getting at the truth of things that we might hesitate to bring up in polite society, be it children, stereotypes or toilets for the disabled. David may have been right most of the time during his crusades, but his approach and stubbornness made him look as ridiculous as everybody else. The cinéma vérité style of the show fit like hand in glove; we were meant to recognize ourselves in much of this.
Curb Your Enthusiasm 2000-2011, 2017-2024:U.S. 120 episodes. Color. Created by Larry David. Cast: Larry David, Jeff Garlin (Jeff Greene), Susie Essman (Susie Greene), Cheryl Hines (Cheryl David), J.B. Smoove (07-11, 17-24).
Quote: “It’s not every day that you get to be affectionate around something German, it just doesn’t happen that often.” (David petting a German Shepherd)
Emmy: Outstanding Directing 03-04. Golden Globe: Best Comedy Series 03.
Last word: “[Fans] get really sad when I’m kind and gracious. They come up to me in the street, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I love you.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, thank you so much.’ I see the face drop. They want me to just say, ‘Go fuck yourself.’ That’s not who I am in real life. It’s called acting. Larry’s not really that character.” (Essman, The Hollywood Reporter)
